50 years after her maiden Roland Garros title, the legendary @ChrissieEvert joins us to reflect on the momentous feat 💫 🇫🇷 🏆 Enjoy the full piece on Tennis.com & YouTube 📺
From prodigy to legend: Chris Evert's nostalgic trip down the winning lane of 1974 Roland Garros
WTAFriday, 07 June 2024 at 06:00
Fifty years after her first Grand Slam title, Chris Evert took went down memory lane as she recollected her journey to winning the Roland Garros title in 1974 at just 19 years of age.
The American turned pro at the start of the 1970's, and soon established herself as one of the best women to ever play the game. Evert finished her career with 18 Grand Slam singles titles over the next two decades, with seven of them coming on the red clay of Roland Garros.
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To commemorate the 50th anniversary of her maiden Major title, US sport magazine 'Tennis' conducted an interview with the former World No.1. Evert spoke about her mindset during her early years, stating she did not approach the game as a "typical teenager" would.
"In the spring of 1974, I was at the ripe old age of 19," said the 69-year old. "I was a typical teenager in a lot of ways, and I was not a typical teenager in a lot of ways. Emotionally, I was a typical teenager in the sense of... 'I really want to belong', I did not want to be an outsider. But where I wasn't typical was my mentality. I was very, very intense and very focused. I was chasing Grand Slam titles.
"The French Open in 1974, I went into that tournament thinking this is my time, I can beat these girls. I've beaten all of these girls in this tournament on clay. This is my surface. I was ready to win my first Grand Slam. The clay was so slow, and you were using wood rackets. Nobody could hit me off the court. I was just willing to stay out there as long as I could and, you know, wear them down. And so, that's what I did."
"The French Open in 1974, I went into that tournament thinking this is my time, I can beat these girls. I've beaten all of these girls in this tournament on clay. This is my surface. I was ready to win my first Grand Slam. The clay was so slow, and you were using wood rackets. Nobody could hit me off the court. I was just willing to stay out there as long as I could and, you know, wear them down. And so, that's what I did."
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